A 33-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh’s Muradabad district has been detained at Adarsh Nagar Metro Station in the national capital for carrying 20 live cartridges in his luggage, late Sunday evening.

Identified as Ganga Ram, the man was in the city to meet a relative with his friend and his wife when they were detained by CISF personnel during checking. Ram claimed that he has a license for the firearms but failed to produce a hard copy claiming that it was back home in Muradabad.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (metro) Pankaj Kumar Singh said Ram showed them a soft copy of the license on his phone. “He told us that he would produce the hard copy but it needs to be verified and checked as to why he was carrying the cartridges. A case, therefore, has been registered under section 25/54 of the Arms Act and an investigation is underway,” Singh said. The woman and her husband were allowed to go.

Police said Ram’s relative is currently admitted at Bara Hindu Rao Hospital. They had to take the metro towards the hospital from Adarsh Nagar Metro Station. According to the police, Ram works as a private money lender in Muradabad. With Republic Day celebrations beginning in the next few days, the city police is on high alert.